With one-in-five women estimated to experience sexual assault while in college, and a large majority of cases unreported, there has been a groundswell recently for better prevention and response, backed recently by a presidential task force. We’ll talk with local colleges and experts on sexual violence about how best to address this problem.
GUESTS:
- Richard Perez-Pena– higher education reporter for the New York Times. He has covered campus sexual assault extensively.
- Lyn Schollett– executive director of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, which seeks to address sexual violence, domestic violence, and stalking through advocacy and prevention.
- Jane Stapleton – co-director of Prevention Innovations, a research unit at UNH that develops and evaluates strategies for addressing, preventing, and documenting sexual violence.
CALLOUTS:
- Heather Lindkvist – Title IX coordinator and Clery Act compliance officer for Dartmouth College. Here's Dartmouth's new sexual assault policy.
LINKS:
- UNH's 2012 Unwanted Sexual Experience Survey Report
- the White House's Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault: "The prevalence of rape and sexual assault at our Nation's institutions of higher education is both deeply troubling and a call to action. Studies show that about one in five women is a survivor of attempted or completed sexual violence while in college. In addition, a substantial number of men experience sexual violence during college. Although schools have made progress in addressing rape and sexual assault, more needs to be done to ensure safe, secure environments for students of higher education."
- Sexual assault prevention efforts: "Mostly it is common sense: If a drunk young man at a party is pawing a drunk young woman, then someone nearby (the bystander) needs to step in (intervene) and get one of them out of there."
- Center for Public Integrity'sreport on Sexual Assault on Campus: "Students found "responsible" for sexual assaults on campus often face little or no punishment from school judicial systems, while their victims' lives are frequently turned upside down, according to a year-long investigation by the Center for Public Integrity. Administrators believe the sanctions administered by the college judiciary system are a thoughtful way to hold abusive students accountable, but the Center's probe has discovered that "responsible" findings rarely lead to tough punishments like expulsion — even in cases involving alleged repeat offenders."